CISA Marks Important Milestone in Addressing Cyber Incidents; Seeks Input on CIRCIA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Register posted for public inspection the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which CISA was required to develop by the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA). This marks a major step in bolstering America’s cybersecurity. 

Implementation of CIRCIA will improve CISA’s ability to use cybersecurity incident and ransomware payment information reported to the agency to identify patterns in real-time, fill critical information gaps, rapidly deploy resources to help entities that are suffering from cyber attacks, and inform others who would be potentially affected. When information about cyber incidents is shared quickly, CISA can use this information to render assistance and provide warning to prevent other organizations from falling victim to a similar incident. This information is also critical to identifying trends that can help efforts to protect the homeland. The NPRM will soon formally publish in the Federal Register, following which the public will have 60 days to submit written comments to inform the direction and substance of the Final Rule. 

“Cyber incident reports submitted to us through CIRCIA will enable us to better protect our nation’s critical infrastructure,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas.  “CIRCIA enhances our ability to spot trends, render assistance to victims of cyber incidents, and quickly share information with other potential victims, driving cyber risk reduction across all critical infrastructure sectors. The proposed rule is the result of collaboration with public and private stakeholders, and DHS welcomes feedback during the public comment period on the direction and substance of the final rule.”

"CIRCIA is a game changer for the whole cybersecurity community, including everyone invested in protecting our nation’s critical infrastructure,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly. “It will allow us to better understand the threats we face, spot adversary campaigns earlier, and take more coordinated action with our public and private sector partners in response to cyber threats. We look forward to additional feedback from the critical infrastructure community as we move towards developing the Final Rule."

Since September 2022, CISA has solicited input from public and private sector stakeholders, including the critical infrastructure community, as the agency developed the NPRM, and this open comment period is another opportunity for stakeholders to submit written comments on the NPRM. The NPRM contains proposed regulations for cyber incident and ransom payment reporting, as well as other aspects of the CIRCIA regulatory program. Implementation of CIRCIA enables CISA to develop insight into the cyber threat landscape to drive cyber risk reduction across the nation and to provide early warning to entities who may be at risk of targeting. The comments CISA received through the Request for Information (RFI) and listening sessions over the past year helped shape this NPRM. In turn, robust input on the NPRM will support our ability to implement CIRCIA to drive national cyber risk reduction.

Visit cisa.gov/CIRCIA to learn more.

About CISA 

As the nation’s cyber defense agency and national coordinator for critical infrastructure security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency leads the national effort to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the digital and physical infrastructure Americans rely on every hour of every day.

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